San Diego  When it comes to cooking for a crowd, Eva Noble knows her way around a kitchen.

For the past 12 years, the 78-year-old retired caterer has overseen a Christmas dinner for up to 75 men from the Salvation Army’s STEPS shelter, which provides transitional housing and job training for men who are homeless or recently out of prison. The annual dinner — prepared by three generations of the Noble family — brings together shelter residents with alumni who have graduated from the program and found jobs and homes.

The Santee resident said she loves shopping for, cooking and serving the multicourse meal for the men who have nowhere else to go for the holidays.

“Each of these men is someone’s child. It’s nice to show them that somebody cares enough to do something for them,” Noble said of the dinner, scheduled for Friday night. “They really do want to succeed and this is a way that we can show them we support them and have faith in them.”

Noble and her husband Chuck, now 86, were invited to help with the dinner a dozen years ago by a family friend who knew she had a background in food service and catering. Noble not only agreed to help, she took over the entire job in her first year.

Noble spent 19 years supervising food services at what is now Scripps Memorial Hospital Chula Vista, and six years as food manager for the Jamul school district. She also ran her own catering company before retiring in 1997.

Noble said she has always had a knack for knowing how to plan big meals and satisfy diners, including her own family — which includes 6 children, 7 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

“People enjoy good food,” she said. “We eat with our eyes, so it not only has to taste good, it has to look good, too.”

Preparation for the annual meal begins days ahead. The menu and money for the meal is provided by Edward Rivers, director of STEPS (which stands for Shelter Transition Employment Program Services). Noble does her own shopping for the groceries, including two 35- to 40-pound beef roasts and three to four turkey breasts. There will be shrimp and crab hors d’oeuvres, fruit and tossed salads, mashed potatoes and green beans, rolls and two kinds of dessert. A few years back, she added a side of collard greens because a shelter resident was a great Southern cook, but her experiment last year with green bean casserole bombed. She said she has learned to keep things “plain and simple.”

“I’m a purist, good old salt and pepper is all you need for seasoning, and I baste the turkey with butter. With a Christmas dinner, people just want things done in a traditional way,” she said.

Around 11 a.m. Friday, Noble and her family will arrive at the Salvation Army’s Centre City Corps dining hall downtown. Her cooking crew this year includes husband Chuck, daughter Mary Lu and her husband, Joel; son Geary and his wife, Julie; grandchildren David, Mallory and Ian; and family friends Tony and Shauna.

Dinner prep takes all day, with service around 6:30 p.m., following a program where STEPS alumni share their success stories with shelter residents.

Noble said she is inspired each year by the presentation. She likes sitting down with the men after dinner, but she gets embarrassed when Rivers asks the diners to acknowledge the family’s volunteer efforts with applause.

Santee residents Chuck and Eva Noble are recognized for the dinners they’ve cooked for Salvation Army shelter residents by Major Ron Wildman, who runs the organization’s Centre City Corps Community Center in San Diego. Courtesy of the Salvation Army

Santee residents Chuck and Eva Noble are recognized for the dinners they’ve cooked for Salvation Army shelter residents by Major Ron Wildman, who runs the organization’s Centre City Corps Community Center in San Diego. Courtesy of the Salvation Army

“I’d much rather be behind than scenes than out front. I don’t need a big thank you. I just enjoy doing this with my family and I know the men and the families that come are so appreciative.”

Because of their age, Noble said she and her husband will be serving dinner this year for the last time. To thank the Nobles for their service over the years, Rivers said he and his staff recently turned the tables on the couple and made dinner for them.

“It has been wonderful having them here,” Rivers said. “She’s an excellent cook and a good kitchen manager and they’re a great family and very good people. We’ll miss the Nobles, not only for their cooking but for their presence at this time of year.”

Rivers said the Salvation Army will be looking for other volunteers to make and serve the STEPS dinner next year, but Noble said she already has someone in mind for the job. Her grandson David Lindsey, 32, has helped out each year at the dinner and he has some training in food service.

“I’ve been cultivating David to take it over,” she said. “He has gone with me the last couple of years to do the buying and I’m trying to convince him that he can do it next year. He can do just about anything in the kitchen.”

The self-described “busy grandma” said she won’t retire completely. She does day care for two of her grandchildren, ages 2 and 9, and there’s no telling whether she might show up in the kitchen again next year to help if her grandson is involved.

“We’re a very close family and we work well together. Everybody feels like I do — we’re very glad to prepare this dinner for these men and help them get their lives together,” Noble said. “I feel this is my gift to the community.”